Tennis net



.liuily 23, 1935. J SCHERER 2,009,329

TENNIS NET Filed Jan. 8, 1935 INVENTOR. JCJI-IH. R. SGE-IERER ATTORNEYS Patented July 23, 1935 UNITED STATES TENNIS NET John R. Schren EI Monte, alif.Q assignor to Frank M. uessaml Adeline Anna Guess, EI

Mante Calf.

Appiicatian Januzzry 8Q1935 Seriai N0. "1

2 Claims. (C1. 273-29) This invent-ion relates to improvements in nets anal he-s particular reference to a net or barrier adaptecl to be utilized in playing i;he game of tennisf Tl'1e principal object cf the invention is provide a nei; consis-cing, preferably, of galvanized steel spring wire crimped and interwoven to realize a double strand web, thus effecting a. net construcion having the characteristics 01? resiliency, fiexibility, attractiveness, economy ancl safety.

A further object is to provide a net that will reI-ain its original shape, one Ihm; Will 1l0{7 be aifected by weather conditions, a net that afiords gzeat visibility in playing the game o f tennis, and a net construction that is economical to manufacture, easy to install and corinparatively light in weight.

An additional object is so provide in the C011- struction of 1:he net, means in the form cf coils, 011 the ends of the upright or vertical wires, that encompass I;he supporting cables to permit a.

backward, forward and lateral movement of said Coils 110 thus reduce a, minimum any chafing efiect On the tennis balls that contact the net.

Another object is provide means'for ad.- justing the net body with relation to its supports to thus assure the necessary degree of tautness in the net body.

Other objects and aolvantages will be apparent during the course cf the following description.

In ehe accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed 1:0 designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a side elevacional vievv of a, tennis net constructed in accordance with my invention,

Fig. 2 1's an enlarg'ed fragmentary fr0nt eleva den of I;he net,

Fig. 3 is a, p1an view of one of the sceel lugs 01 turnbuckles that retain therein the end 01 one of the supporting cables,

Fig. I 1s a section through the cable taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a horizontalsecti0n through a portion of the net and one of the channel members, the view being taken cm the line 5-5 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 is a transverse vercal section through a portion of the net the view being talken on the 1ine 6-5 cf Fig. 2, and

Fig. 7 is a similar view through the cable showing a portion of the channel member-in elevation, the view being taken 011 the line 'I-'I of Fig. 2.

Great annoyance and difliculty have been experienced in the use of fabric nets, because 0f their tendency t o sag anal slip, because 01 the further fact th at moisture' causes them to shrink anal rot, nd further because they stretc'h and lose their shape. Even in the use of so-called link-chain nets, dissatisfactiofn. has occurrecl because the neI;s of this type lack resiliency, are unsightly, cumbersome, exceedingly heavydif ficult of insiallation anti finally'int'erfere with the 'much desired visibility in playing the game of termis. T0, therefore, produce a net that Will overcome the above referred to disaolvantages of the fabric net, and to further provide a, nat that Will be mo1e satisfactory anal serviceable in every respect than the referred to link-chain net, I have clevised the present invenon. 15

In the accompanying drawing whereiri fo r I;he purpose cf Illustration is shown a preferred. embodiment of my invention, the numerals 8 anti 9 indicate conventiunal posts o1 standards to which I fasten my improved net, herein designated as a whole by the reference character A. 'I'he said net consists of strands 0f galvanized steel spring wire, the vertical 01' upright strands being indicated by the numeral III and the horizontal strands beim; designated by the numeral, II. 'I'he said strands are crimped as at B and interwoven as at C, I;o thus realize a lock mesh, which 'construction makes it impossible 130 dislodge the wires by hard-glaricing drives of the balls, which is an'outstanding fault of single strand fabrics. 30 The said upright wires I0 terminate in coilsI2 consisting '0f two complete turns anal 0f a. sufficient diameter to thus loose ly encompass an upper horizontal cable I3 and a lower horizontal 35 cab1e I4. 'I'his feature of construction permits a backward, forward, as weil as lateral move'zment of the coils when the net is contacted by the tennis balls. At the respective ends of the double strand web there are provided a. pair ofchannel members I5 preferably made of steel that have provided therein an enlarged opening I6 through Which the cables I3 anal I4 pass nd, likewise, a plurality of spaced apertures I'I through which the longitudinal wires I I enter the channel members'and thereafter are firmly and neatly clinched, as illustrated to advantage in Figs. 5 and 7, to to thus leave 110 exposed ends which might cause damage. II: will be noted that the ends of the supporting cables I3 and I4 are forced into centrally bored lugs or turn-buckles I8 and are securely anchored. therein by reducing the size 01 the holes a1; three points under high pressure to efiect a, streng and 'reliable gripping action on the ends of the cables. Ext9nsions I9 are connected 55 ab one end to the eyes 20 of the turn-iouckles a.nd are secured at their opposite ends 130 hook bolts 21 that extend through the supporting posts 8 and 9. The sa.id bolts are threaded. at one end and have threadedly mounted thereon nuts 22. The said extensions I9 may be made in various lengths according t o the distances between the posts, while the hook bolts and their threaded nuts permit an adjustment of the top' a.nd bottom cables to the proper tension.

From he foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be obvious that I have devised a metallic net construction wherein the width of the mesh Will always remain constant and the height of ehe net body will be unaffected.

It is tobe understood that the form o f my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same a-r1d that various changes relative to the' material, size, shape and arrangement of patrts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention 01' the scope of the subjoin ed claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A tennis net 'coniprising an upper ahd 10Wer horizontal si1iaporting cable and a, spring steel net supported on sa.id cable, said net consisting of a, plurality of interwoven vertical and horizontal wires defining a double strand web, the ends of said vertical wires terminating in coils of a greater diameter than the diameter of the cables to permit backward, forward 01 lateral movenxent of the coils on seid cables, and channel membe'rs adapted to fixedly retain therein the ends cf the horizontal wires of said net.

2. A tennis net comprising a pair of horizontal supporting cables and a, spring steel net supported on said cables, said net consisting of a plurality 01? interwoven, vertical and. horizontal wires defining a. double strand web, the ends of said vertical wires terminating in coils of a greater diameter than the diameter of the cables to permit backward, forward and lateral movement of the coils on said. cables, channel members adapted fixedly retain therein ehe ends of the horizontal wires of said net and adapted to recaive therein the ends of said cables, and means for adjusfiihg the ends of said cables fo1 varying the height and the tension of said net.

JOHN R. SCHERER. 

